While the definitive stars of today’s Galaxy Unpacked event is the Galaxy Z Fold4 and Z Flip4, it’s almost always a tradition of the brand to also launch some new wearables alongside its flagships. Welcome, the Galaxy Watch5 and Watch5 Pro.
Galaxy Watch5 comes in 40 and 44mm variants, while the Watch5 Pro has a single variant. All use Sapphire Crystal for their cover, and are powered by an Exynos W920 processor along with 1.5GB of RAM and 16GB of storage.
These new devices are equipped with Samsung’s BioActive sensor which uses a single chip that combines three health sensors – Optical Heart Rate, Electrical Heart Signal, and Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis, allowing for extensive reading which include stress and blood oxygen level, and heart rate.
Taking advantage of its increased surface area as well as more direct contact with the user’s wrist, the Galaxy Watch5 can track metrics more accurately compared to its predecessor. The 3-in-1 BioActive sensor also works with other sensors, including the new temperature sensor which uses infrared technology, for a more detailed view of the user’s wellness.
Galaxy Watch5 offers an array of fitness and health tracking features like body composition measurement, sleep monitoring, and more. With SmartThings integration, the device can be used to automatically configure connected lights, AC units, and even TVs to create an ideal sleep environment. There is even enhanced fall detection to notify an emergency contact in case someone stumbles or falls out of bed.
Using voice commands for Google Assistant, users can line up their favorite songs on Spotify, and pretty soon, they’ll be able to navigate using Google Maps even when the watch isn’t connected to a smartphone.
Galaxy Watch5 series are the first to use Sapphire Glass on its displays for added durability. Speaking of which, these devices are equipped with a Super AMOLED Full Color Always on Display. In terms of longevity, Galaxy Watch5 packs a battery that’s 13% larger, and boasts 8 hours of sleep tracking with just 8 minutes of charging.
Specifications
| Galaxy Watch5 | Galaxy Watch5 Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Material | Armor Aluminum case with Sport Band | Titanium case with D-Buckle Sport Band |
| Color | 44mm: Graphite, Sapphire, Sliver | Black Titanium, Gray Titanium |
| 40mm: Graphite, Pink Gold, Sliver | ||
| Dimensions | 44mm: 43.3 x 44.4 x 9.8 mm, 33.5g | 45.4 x 45.4 x 10.5 mm, 46.5g |
| 40mm: 39.3 x 40.4 x 9.8 mm, 28.7g | ||
| Display | Sapphire Crystal | Sapphire Crystal |
| 44mm: 1.4″ (34.6mm) 450×450 Super AMOLED, Full Color Always On Display | – 1.4″ (34.6mm) 450×450 Super AMOLED, Full Color Always On Display | |
| 40mm: 1.2″ (30.4mm) 396×396 Super AMOLED, Full Color Always On Display | ||
| Processor | Exynos W920 Dual Core 1.18GHz | Exynos W920 Dual Core 1.18GHz |
| Memory | 1.5GB RAM + 16GB Storage | 1.5GB RAM + 16GB Storage |
| Battery | 44mm: 410mAh | 590mAh |
| 40mm: 284mAh | ||
| Charging | Faster Charging (WPC-Based Wireless Charging) | Faster Charging (WPC-Based Wireless Charging) |
| OS | Wear OS Powered by Samsung (Wear OS 3.5) | Wear OS Powered by Samsung (Wear OS 3.5) |
| UI | One UI Watch4.5 | One UI Watch4.5 |
| Sensors | Samsung BioActive Sensor (Optical Heart Rate + Electrical Heart Signal + Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis), Temperature Sensor, Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Light Sensor | Samsung BioActive Sensor (Optical Heart Rate + Electrical Heart Signal + Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis), Temperature Sensor, Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Light Sensor |
| Connectivity | LTE, Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n 2.4+5GHz, NFC, GPS/Glonass/Beidou/Galileo | LTE, Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n 2.4+5GHz, NFC, GPS/Glonass/Beidou/Galileo |
Pricing and Availability
The Galaxy Watch5 40mm is priced starting at PhP16,990 for the Bluetooth version and PhP19,990 for the LTE version. For the 44mm variant, it’s PhP18,990 and PhP21,990. For the Galaxy Watch5 Pro, it starts at PhP26,990 and PhP29,990 for the Bluetooth and LTE variants, respectively.
Both are available for pre-order starting August 10, 10:00 PM via samsung.com, and August 11 via Samsung Experience Stores, Authorized Samsung Stores, Lazada, Shopee, Abenson.com, and MemoXpress Online. Those who will pre-order until September 1 can get freebies and discounts worth up to PhP14,500.
Galaxy Watch5 series will be available on samsung.com, Samsung Experience Stores, select Authorized Samsung Stores, Lazada, Shopee, Abenson.com, and MemoXpress Online starting September 2, 2022.
Emman has been writing technical and feature articles since 2010. Prior to this, he became one of the instructors at Asia Pacific College in 2008, and eventually landed a job as Business Analyst and Technical Writer at Integrated Open Source Solutions for almost 3 years.
